In an attempt to capture the full wedding dress experience, my mom and I went to a fancy schmansy wedding salon in Pasadena. To give credit where credit is due, the saleswoman was awesome. She and I were very clear on what would work on me and the two dresses she pulled when she got an idea of what I liked were excellent choices. I especially enjoyed how she coerced me out on the floor to stand on a pedestal in this giant frothy dress that make me look like an albino big bird. What a great dress!
My favorite dress was not the big bird dress, or the one that made me look like a slender column. My favorite dress was one-shouldered and draped in tulle. She clipped the trailing veil and the flower in my hair and I looked positively bridal. I know that everyone would say that I looked beautiful. I even didn’t mind the rhinestones hiding out in the center of a few small flowers around the neckline. Too much for a garden wedding, yes, but not too, too much when your groom is in a tux.
There were only two problems: it didn’t feel fun, or celebratory, and I didn’t see how I could dance around in it. It’s the kind of dress that is perfect for standing around and looking fetching but not so good if you want to jump up and hug the hell out of someone. And it was $2800. That would make it $2,300 more than wedding dress #1. As my mom said, You can have a lot of fun for $2,300. I have to agree.